Rotary conveyer guide and fork for barn cleaning apparatus



Aug. 29, 1939. v. L. cusTER ROTARY CONVEYER GUIDE AND FORK FOR BARN CLEANING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 22, 1938 I IAIIII. A 1 v Patented Aug. 29, 1939 PATENT orrica ROTARY CONVEYER GUIDE AND FORK FOR BARN CLEANING APPARATUS Vincent L. Custer, Eau Claire, Wis.

Application August 22, 1938, Serial No. 226,040

3 Claim.

- My invention relates to conveyers and particularly to a conveyer-guiding and materialforking device for inclusion in manure removal conveying apparatus for animal barns.

In manure removal apparatus wherein a conveyer is situated in a trough'which is horzontally disposed in its main portion and upwardly inclined in its delivery portion, tension on the conveyer tends to lift the conveyer out of the trough at the junction between said horizontal and inclined sections of the trough. Means, such as a roller, immediately above the conveyer at said junction would restrain the conveyer against being lifted but would constitute an obstacle in the way of material being carried on the conveyer.

An object of my invention is to provide a device capable of restraining a conveyer against upward displacement out of a trough and yet so constructed as to permit unobstructed movement of material on the conveyer therepast.

Another object is to provide such a device capable of material-forking action to assist movement of material therepast on the conveyer.

A further object is to provide such a device capable of particularly effective performance of its functions and being of simple, compact, rugged and inexpensive construction.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts, and, in which:

Fig. 1 is a partially broken away, partially sectional side view of a manure disposal conveyer apparatus having'an embodiment of my invention incorporated therein;

Fig. 2 is a top view;

Fig. 3 is a partial vertical sectional view taken transversely of the apparatus to show certain details; and

Fig. 4 is a partial sectional view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 3 as indicated by the arrows.

Referring to the drawing the numeral 5 refers to a wall of a building 'such as a dairy barn, within which building is a floor 6 on which is mounted the usual structure I which defines stalls for individual animals. The floor 6 is provided with a manure trough 8 in'accordance with common practice in dairy barns.

Longitudinally aligned with the trough 8 is a trough structure preferably formed of material such as metal and which comprises one section 9 disposed horizontally and extending through a suitable opening in in the wall 5. Connected to the outer end of the trough section 8 is another trough section III which is inclined upwardly so that the outer end thereof is elevated to permit placement of a vehicle such as the wagon ll therebeneath. 5

Within the troughs 8, 9 and In there is provided material conveying means movable longitudinally thereof. This means may consist of a pair of elongated flexible elements l2 such as steel cables or the equivalent carrying at intervals 1 therealong cross pieces or slats IS. The slats l3 may be formed as shown of angle iron having notches l3a cut in the upwardly projecting leg thereof to receive the cables l2. The cables l2 may be secured to the slats l3 by means of clamps M attached to the slats H by suitable means such as nutted bolts I5. Preferably the nutted bolts l5 are constructed in the manner of carriage bolts with a rounded head disposed at the lower side of the slat I3. At the outer end of the conveying means the cables I2 are brought together and connected to a single cable l2a.

Means is provided for longitudinally moving the above-described conveying means. At the outer end of the trough section III a drum I5 is mounted on a shaft I! which in turn is journalled in suitable bearings l8 carried by the outer end of the trough section Ill. Beneath the trough section III a winding drum I9 is carried on a shaft 20. The shaft 20 is journalled in suitable bearings 2! carried by vertical members 22 which serve to support the medial portion of the trough section It. The drum I9 is adapted for winding thereon of the cable I 2a and the slat carrying cables l2 so that material carried outwardly in the troughs 8, 9 and ID will be discharged over the drum I6 and down into a vehicle such as the wagon ll disposed therebelow. A gear 23 is mounted on one end of the shaft 20 in longitudinally shiftable non-rotatable relation thereto. The gear 23 is provided with a grooved shifting collar 24 associated with a shifting lever 25 which is mounted on abracket 22a carried by one of the vertical trough supporting members 22. A pinion 26 adapted for meshing relation of the gear 23 therewith is mounted on a counter-shaft 21 journalled in a suitably apertured bracket 28 mounted on the lower side of the trough section Ill. Operation of the lever 25 will, bring the gear 23 into and out of mesh with the pinion 26. The 5 shaft 21 is provided with a crank 21a for purposes of rotating the same. Provision is also made for driving the shaft 21 by power means. A sprocket 29 is mounted on the shaft 21 and connected by means of a sprocket chain 30 to another sprocket side of the trough section It. The shaft 32 also carries a pulley 34 to which a suitable source of rotary mechanical power may be belted in a conventional manner.

With the above described construction it should be apparent that a heavy pull on the towing cable l2a will tend to cause the conveying means to be displaced upwardly at the junction between the horizontal and inclined trough sections 3 and It; A roller placed above the conveyin means to prevent such upward displacement of the same would, of course, constitute an obstacle which would interfere with movement therepast of material carried by the conveying means. I have devised means for holding down and guiding the conveying means at the junction between trough sections such as the sections 9 and I0 without creating an obstacle in the way of material being conveyed by the conveying means. My device is also capable of functioning inthe manner of a rotary material-forking means and is constructed as will be described.

Substantially above the junction between the trough sections 9 and I0, and at a level a substantial distance above said junction I provide a rotatably mounted member such as the shaft 35, this shaftbeing disposed with its longitudinal and rotational axis transversely arranged relative to the trough sections 9 and Ill. The shaft 35 is journalled at its respective ends in relatively tall upstanding bearing brackets 36 mounted on the respective sides of the trough structure. The shaft 35 carries thereon a series of radially projecting relatively slender elements 31 which may be conveniently mounted thereon by means of hubs 38. The slender radial elements 31 are arranged in two series or groups, each series or group being disposed in a vertical plane common to one of the cables l2 of the conveying means. The slender radial elements of each series thereof are spaced circumferentially of the series. Each element 31 is provided with means for engaging the corresponding one of the cables, this means preferably being of a nature suitable for straddling engagement with the cable. The cable engaging means shown in the drawing is provided by forming on the outer end of each of the slender elements 31 an outwardly opening V-shaped element 31a which is preferably formed integrally with its associated radial element 31. The V-shaped elements 31a carried by one series of the radial elements 31 form in effect a sheave capable of guiding one of the cables l2 and preventing upward movement of the cable l2.

My device is so arranged that the shaft 35 and the radial elements 31 carried thereby will'rotate in unison with longitudinal movement of the conveyer cables l2. Such rotary movement of the shaft 31 is conveniently obtained from longitudinal movement of the cables I2 through frictional engagement of the V-shaped elements 31a with the cables I2.

It is to be noted that my above described device for holding down and guiding the cables l2 will afford no obstruction to movement of material carried along the troughs 9 and H) by the conveying means. The shaft 35 is spaced a considerable distance above any such material passing therebeneath. The radial elements 31a occupy but a small percentage of the width of the trough and furthermore are capable of piercing through a layer of material moving along the trough. The radial elements 31 since they pierce through the material and are in rotary motion constitute forking means for assisting the conveyer in moving material from the trough section 9 to the trough section III.

While my rotary conveyer guiding and material-forking device has been illustrated and described as applied to the use of the device in connection with ham cleaning conveyer app ratus I am aware that the device is well adapted for use in connection with other types of conveyers and material moving apparatus.

It is apparent that I have invented novel, simple, compact, rugged, and inexpensive means for guiding a longitudinally movable conveyer from one to the other of two adjoining sections of a trough disposed at different angles to the horizontal and also capable of functioning as a rotary material-forking means for assisting a conveyer in moving material from one to the other of such sections of a trough.

It will, of course, be understood that various es may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the various parts without departing from the scope of my invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a trough having respective sections disposed at respectively different angles relative to the horizontal and material-conveying means disposed in said trough for movement longitudinally thereof and including a flexible elongated element extending longitudinally thereof, means for forking material and guiding said flexible element from one to the other of said sections comprising, a member mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis extending transversely of said trough and spaced substantially above the junction between said respective sections, a series of radially outwardly projecting elements carried by said rotatable member substantially in a vertical plane containing said flexible element, and outwardly opening, generally V-shaped elements carried by the free ends of the respective radial elements and adapted for straddling engagement with said flexible element so as to constitute a guide sheave therefor, said radial and V-shaped elements constituting rotary material-forking means.

2. In combination with a trough having respective sections disposed at respectively different angles relative to the horizontal and material-conveying means disposed in said trough for movement longitudinally thereof and including parallel, flexible elongated elements extending longitudinally thereof, means for guiding said elongated elements and forking material from one to the other of said sections comprising, a member mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis extending transversely of said trough and spaced substantially above the junction between said respective sections, a series of radially outwardly projecting elements'carried by said rotatable member substantially in each of the vertical planes containing said respective flexible elements, and outwardly opening, enerally vshaped elements carried by the free-ends of the respective radial elements and adapted for straddling engagement with said flexible elements whereby the V-shaped elements associated with each of said flexible elements constitute, in effect, a guide sheave therefor and said radial elements and V-shaped elements constitute rotary material-forking means.

3. In combination with a trough extending horizontally in a first portion thereof and, in a hubs, each series of spokes being in a vertical plane common with'one of said elongated elements, and outwardly opening generally V-" shaped elements carried by the free ends of the respective spokes and adapted for straddling engagement with said elongated elements whereby the V-shaped elements associated with each of said hubs co-operatively constitute, in effect, a guide sheave and said spokes and V-shaped elements constitute means.

VINCENT L. CUSTER.

rotary material-forking l0 

